Cheat Death (Homing Pigeon reloaded) Mod Guide for ASA

Cheat Death (Homing Pigeon reloaded)

Losing a beloved dinosaur in ARK: Survival Ascended can feel like a gut punch. Hours of taming, breeding, and leveling vanish in a single moment of carelessness or a brutal ambush. But what if your tames had a safety net? That is exactly what the Cheat Death (Homing Pigeon reloaded) mod delivers—a clever, balanced way to give your creatures a second chance at life without breaking the game's challenge.

This add-on is the ASA remake of the popular DinoCheatDeath mod. It serves as a straightforward replacement for the old Homing Pigeon mechanic, but with a modern twist. Instead of relying on a bird to carry a message, you craft a special item that your dinosaur carries. When the unthinkable happens, the item activates, teleporting your dino to safety and rendering it invulnerable for a few precious seconds.

How Does the Second Chance Mechanic Work?

The core of Cheat Death (Homing Pigeon reloaded) for ARK: Survival Ascended is its dual-trigger system. You craft a consumable item and apply it to your creature. From there, the mod watches over your tame in two specific scenarios:

• Dino Death: If your creature takes fatal damage, the item triggers instantly. Your dino becomes immune to all harm for 5 seconds (default) and is teleported to a designated flag structure.
• Rider Death: If you die while riding the dino, the same protection activates. Your mount gets whisked away to safety, preventing it from being slaughtered while you respawn.

This system ensures that a single mistake doesn't erase hours of progress. The teleport is instant, and the brief invulnerability window gives your dino time to escape any nearby predators or turret fire.

The Deployable Flag Structure

To make this work, you need to craft and place a CheatDeathFlag. This deployable structure acts as the destination point. When your dino's life is in danger, it gets transported directly to the flag's location. You can also use the flag to manually recall any protected dino at any time—even if it's not in danger. This is incredibly useful for moving tames across the map or retrieving a mount that wandered off.

Balancing and .ini Configuration

No one wants an overpowered mod that removes all risk. The developer has included sensible defaults to keep the game fair. The invincibility window is 5 seconds, and the cooldown is a hefty 30 minutes. This means you cannot spam the mechanic—you have to use it wisely. However, the real power lies in the configuration options.

You can tweak everything through the [DinoCheatDeath] section in your GameUserSettings.ini file. Here are the key variables:

• InvincibleDuration=5 — Adjust how long the dino is immune after teleporting.
• CheatDeathCooldown=1800 — Set the cooldown in seconds (1800 = 30 minutes).
• TeleportOnDinoDeath=True — Toggle the teleport on fatal dino damage.
• TeleportOnPlayerDeath=True — Toggle the teleport when the rider dies.
• CanBeDowned=true — Allow the dino to be knocked out instead of teleported.
• DownedDuration=600 — How long the dino stays downed in that scenario.

This flexibility means you can create a hardcore server where the cooldown is 2 hours, or a casual one where the invincibility lasts longer. The mod respects your server's difficulty curve.

Compatibility and Supported Versions

This mod is built specifically for ARK: Survival Ascended and is regularly updated to match the latest game patches. It is compatible with most other mods, though you should always check for conflicts with mods that alter dino death mechanics or teleportation systems. The mod uses standard item and structure classes, making it a safe addition to most mod stacks. If you are running a dedicated server, ensure your clients have the mod ID (928506) enabled to avoid connection issues.

For players looking to streamline their setup, the foxygame.net launcher offers a one-click install for this exact add-on. Its integrated add-on catalog lets you search for "Cheat Death (Homing Pigeon reloaded)" and deploy it directly to your server or client without manual file downloads. The launcher also handles version compatibility checks, ensuring your mod matches your ASA build.

How to Install and Spawn Commands

Getting started is simple. Follow these steps for how to install the mod on your server or single-player world:

1. Subscribe to the mod on the ARK: Survival Ascended mod browser (ModID: 928506).
2. Restart your server or game to download the content.
3. Add the mod to your active mod list in the server settings.
4. Load your world and craft the items in your inventory or use the spawn commands below.

If you prefer to skip crafting, use these admin commands:

• Flag: cheat giveitem "/CheatDeath/Items/PrimalItemStructure_DinoCheatDeath_Flag.PrimalItemStructure_DinoCheatDeath_Flag" 10 0 0 false
• Consumable: cheat giveitem "/CheatDeath/Items/PrimalItem_DinoCheatDeath_Consumable.PrimalItem_DinoCheatDeath_Consumable" 10 0 0 false

Once you have the consumable, use it on your dino. Place the flag where you want your dino to teleport. That's it—your safety net is active.

Final Thoughts

The Cheat Death (Homing Pigeon reloaded) mod is a must-have for players who value their tames but hate the brutal permadeath of ARK. It respects the game's balance while removing the most frustrating part of losing a high-level creature. The teleport flag is a brilliant addition for base management, and the .ini options give server admins total control.

Whether you are a solo survivor or running a large tribe, this mod ensures that your hard work doesn't vanish in a puff of smoke. Download Cheat Death (Homing Pigeon reloaded) today and give your dinos the safety net they deserve.